


The Magic of Art

by Anonymous



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Magic, Dancer Lee Taeyong, M/M, Rating May Change, a hot mess honestly, because that makes sense, magic au where theyre also all musicians, pianist johnny
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-07-12 15:30:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19948528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: A special event in someones's life causes a magical awakening in them— a Spark. It happens to everyone, eventually; they find their Spark and their abilities are unearthed. It happens to everyone... except for Johnny, apparently.When he's with Lee Taeyong, he finds it doesn't bother him that much anymore.





	The Magic of Art

Johnny didn’t like heights. He wasn’t afraid or anything, and yes, he could acknowledge how ridiculous it was that the tallest guy in the room got nervous on a high balcony. With his fingers on piano keys, however, he felt like he was flying. A free fall, calm and serene, only to fall again once he landed another note, another chord. 

The feeling of glossy plastic under his fingertips was like the parachute that would save his life, the sound of a beautiful melody was the adrenaline right before he jumped. 

When he told Yuta this, he’d laughed. ‘Ah, who are you, a poet?’ he’d said. Johnny punched his shoulder so hard, it hurt to play for the rest of the day. Taeil, though, he understood. Sometimes the two of them would sit on the bench together, playing aimlessly, no plan for a harmony or theme in sight. Just discordant tunes ringing out into the air of their home. Yuta laughed at them then, too. Prick. 

Playing often comforted him, though he rarely needed it. He had great friends, a promising career in music. Today, he did need it. 

Usually, Johnny was a fan of soft, romantic pieces like Debussy’s Claire de Lune or Liszt’s Liebestraume. He preferred to caress the keys, to tell a love story only with his fingers and a somber smile to the audience (or himself). But, like previously stated, today was different. Rachmaninov’s Prelude in C# Minor streamed from beneath his fingers, the pads of which were starting to feel sore from how aggressively he hit the keys. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Yuta and Taeil leaned close together, staring at him and speaking softly to each other. Even if Johnny had wanted to listen, he wouldn’t be able to hear them. 

The energy of this peace was completely different from anything Johnny would usually play. It was intense, the tempo was hard to keep up with at times, and his dissatisfaction seeped through every jarring note. Even more frustrating was the fact that Johnny knew he had no right to be this upset. Really, he should be happy for his friend. 

Finding your Spark was a big deal, after all. And Taeil had finally found his, taking form in the judges handing him a near perfect score on his first live performance. Hell, Johnny had been coaching him through his stage fright for years, it should feel like an accomplishment. 

Nevertheless, his congratulations to Taeil ran hollow. The smile on his face when Taeil had showed him his newfound abilities (fortune-telling, no figure. The guy was a walking tarot card) had been forced. 

Because now, no one understood. Johnny was 25 years old, and still had no Spark to speak of. Yuta’s had come to him at 5, after his mother fed him his favorite food for the first time. His abilities were powerful, charm and persuasion, though he never dared to use them against anyone. As much of an asshole as he was, he had a great heart. 

During a lull in the music, he could hear said good-hearted ass murmur, “Is this… even a song? Or is he just hitting the piano?” Taeil was gently reprimanding him when Johnny’s fingers lost their urgency, slowing until the flow of sound stopped completely. His two clueless roommates were almost too busy bickering to notice. 

“Guys… Guys!” Their heads snapped back to look at him, looking guilty and hopeful at the same time. Johnny sighed, scooting the bench back with a horrific screech that made Taeil cringe and glance woefully at their poor hardwood floor. 

“Welcome back to the land of the living, Johnny-boy!” Yuta said, his trademark smile usurping the regretful look from just a second ago. 

Johnny had to actively keep his lips from twitching into a grin. Goddamn that charming prick. “Are you guys just going to stare at me all day?” 

“Well,” Taeil began, approaching him with hands splayed out in surrender, like Johnny was some wounded animal. “We just weren’t sure how exactly to approach you. We didn’t want to interrupt you, that was beautiful by the way. I’ve never heard Prelude in C# Minor in person before. We were wondering if—”

“Come party with us!” Yuta exclaimed, just as boisterous as ever. The yelp he let out when Taeil smacked him on the arm was much too satisfying. 

“What he was trying to say is—”

“Why do you guys have to hit me so much?! What I was trying to say is, come to a party with us, Johnny. Let’s get drunk and—”

“Yuta! Do you have no tact in your entire body? Quit interrupting your hyung!” 

“I’ll show you tact!” With that, Yuta lunged at Taeil, laughing as the older man fell onto the couch, pinning him down as they wrestled like children. This time, Johnny did crack a smile.

“I’ll go.” His friends halted immediately, Taeil’s hand still raised to smack Yuta upside his red-haired skull. Taeil’s face is concerned, Johnny would much rather look at Yuta’s beaming smile.

“Yes! I’ll go call Ten and let him know we’re coming!” 

Oh great. It was Ten’s party. Not that Johnny didn’t love his fun-sized Thai friend. Rather, every single one of Ten’s parties that Johnny had been to, he didn’t remember. Ten had a certain way of making you forget how much you’d drank; that, or he mixed really strong drinks. 

“Come on, hyung! You’re not wearing that to a Ten party. You have to go get your sexy jeans on. You know the ones. Go, go!” Yuta said, before he disappeared into his room in a blink, presumably to go call Ten. 

Before Johnny could stand from the bench, he found Taeil perched next to him, worried gaze still trained to his face. “Johnny, you know you don’t have to go. Right?”

“Of course I know, hyung. Honestly, going out and having fun might be what I need right now. And anyway, Ten has Kun’s piano over there if I ever need it. You worry too much, Taeil-hyung. Let’s go get drunk.”

Taeil only smiled and nodded.

\--

The Sexy Jeans were way too tight. Maybe Johnny’s 25-year-old metabolism was finally starting to catch up to him, it definitely hadn’t been this much of a struggle to get them over his ass the last time he wore them. Yuta had promised him that he looked great, and hell if he wasn’t brutally honest, so Johnny believed him. 

When they walked through the door of Ten and Kun’s apartment, Johnny immediately had two arms full of an already drunk Thai. He laughed and swung Ten around in a circle before setting him down. “Starting without me, Tennie?”

“The party couldn’t possibly start until you get here, Johnny.” And like smoke, Ten was gone, off to shmooze some other drunk sucker, or sit in his boyfriend’s lap and be entirely too inappropriate for a party of friends. 

Johnny abandoned Yuta and Taeil to head towards the in-home bar fairly quickly. He poured himself a shot of something clear and pungent, downing it in a second as he sat in one of the stools. Kun walked over to him, a gentle smile on his face. No Ten in sight. 

“Hello, Johnny. Make sure you drink water with that, okay?” Kun sat down next to him, and Johnny felt better almost instantaneously. 

Kun’s ability was of the ‘aura’ genre. Just being around him would make people feel safe and cared for. It was much like Yuta’s, except where Yuta could use his mischievously, Kun’s was pure and wholesome. 

He gave the other man a grateful smile, “Thanks, Kun-mama.” 

Kun’s eyes fluttered shut, his jaw clenched, and the aura was gone. “Not you too. I’ve already got the kids calling me mom, I don’t need it from you.” 

Johnny laughed and clapped Kun on the shoulder. “We wouldn’t say it if it weren’t so true. Thanks for the tip, mom.” The sound of Kun groaning in frustration as Johnny poured himself another shot was music to his ears. 

He turned around in his seat to observe the party. There were maybe twenty people packed into the apartment’s spacious living room, making it feel claustrophobic in the best way. Honestly, for a Ten party, it seemed pretty tame. Everyone had their clothes on, and no one was passed out. Yet. A few people were definitely being irresponsible with their abilities, one snapping to show of sparks, another freezing water in a glass. Johnny looked away before he could see more.

On top of the coffee table was Ten, hips gyrating and rolling to the bumping music. Johnny took a second to ponder how on Earth the cops hadn’t been called yet, when he noticed the dancing body next to Ten on the table. Soft-looking pastel blue hair caught his eye first, though the skilled dancing of the body attached to it quickly grabbed his attention. 

“Wow,” Johnny breathed softly. Kun made a soft noise of confusion, before turning around to see what was going on. The widening of his eyes was almost comical. 

“Yah! Ten, Taeyong! That’s an Ikea table you can’t just— ah, excuse me, Johnny.” Kun flashed him an apologetic smile before almost sprinting to go control his boyfriend and their guest. 

Kun had called him Taeyong. The shot glass slipped from Johnny’s fingers and he fumbled to catch it while still keeping his eyes on the blue-haired man. Lee Taeyong. God, how had Johnny not recognized him sooner? 

_"You’re going to do great, Johnny. The dance club hired you for a reason, you’re talented as hell. Just don’t think about all the people staring at you.” Yuta smiled at him teasingly._

_“Asshole.” Johnny playfully shoved his friend’s arm, causing the dark haired boy to stumble. Off to the side of the backstage-area, Johnny caught a glimpse of chocolate brown hair, it’s owner off in the corner, dancing to music that wasn’t there. “Hey, I’m gonna go talk to Taeyong about the accompaniment.”_

_He could vaguely heard Yuta scoff and say ‘good luck’ in Japanese as he jogged towards the other boy. Okay, yeah, they went to a liberal arts school, and rumors got around. Johnny knew about Taeyong’s reputation; the stoic prodigy, the ice prince of the dance department. Like hell if he was going to listen to that shit, he’d see for himself._

_“Hey, Lee Taeyong!” The younger man stopped his dancing and looked over at him, his eyes intense and piercing. Johnny nearly gulped in fear. He scratched the back of his neck, laughing casually, “I was just wondering, since we didn’t get to practice much together, what count are you going to go with? The slower one, like we did last time?”_

_Taeyong stared at him for a moment, almost as if sizing him up. Johnny had to be four inches taller than this guy, but in that moment he felt like a speck, just existing in Taeyong’s space. Annoying him. The shorter man blinked and gave him a short smile. “Just follow my lead, okay?”_

_“I, uh—” But Taeyong had turned away from him, crouched down in front of his bag to retrieve his costume. A billowy white shirt paired with a sparkly, studded pair of black skinny jeans. Really, not a costume at all, compared to a lot of the other dancers around them who were wearing sequin-covered bodysuits or dresses with flowy lace._

_Taeyong looked at him once more, the intense look back on his face. “We go on in 20 minutes. I’ll see you then.”_

_When their performance came around, it was perfect. Everything Johnny could ever have dreamed of. It had been easier to follow Taeyong’s lead than he’d imagined, at some points he slowed down to match the rhythm of Taeyong’s gentle, ballet-like movements. Other times he sped up his fingers to match the harsh movements of Taeyong’s hip-hop improvising. It made for a dynamic performance, and the rush he felt when the audience cheered made him feel weak._

_In that moment, he thought that was it. His Spark. The rush of adrenaline throughout his body, the feeling of accomplishment in his mind. Finally, after 21 years of life it was here, with Lee Taeyong on his first paid gig as a pianist._

_When the adrenaline faded, however, he had no ability. He felt exactly the same as he had every other day of his life. In that moment, though, it was hard to feel heartbroken. They’d put on a beautiful show. He needed to find Taeyong to congratulate him._

_Johnny looked and looked, for the rest of the night he searched for Taeyong. He even missed Yuta’s singing (though he definitely heard enough of it at the apartment). When he finally asked the dance club manager where Taeyong was, the man had said, “Probably sitting out in the crowd. He likes to scope out his competition.”_

_And from that day on, Johnny was terrified of Lee Taeyong._

Johnny knew why he didn’t recognize him. Taeyong was laughing, his arms thrown around Ten’s neck as Kun tried to pull them off the poor coffee table. His smile was radiant, those usually piercing eyes squinted happily. He looked like a different person. 

While after that day Johnny didn’t speak to Lee Taeyong again, they saw each other often. It was to be expected. Most of the time, Johnny was the pianist for the dance club. On some occasions they brought in Kun, but after he and Ten got caught sucking face in the fitting room, they stopped inviting him. 

For the three years that Johnny played piano for the dance club, Taeyong never broke character. He danced himself sick; some days the teacher had to force him to go home and get some rest. But he never lost that determined look in those beautiful eyes. 

Johnny knew the guy wasn’t a complete robot. He could be found with Ten, Kun and a gaggle of dancers-in-training (lovingly dubbed the Dreamies) anytime he wasn’t in class. 

Once Taeyong is down from the table, Kun scolding the two of them, the blue-haired man looks up, straight at Johnny. His heart stops, Taeyong’s smile falls and he gazes over at Johnny, almost like he’s confused. Johnny has to force himself to finally look away. 

“Hyung!” This was the only warning he got before a very intoxicated Mark Lee was barrelling into him at top speed, nearly knocking him out of his stool. He couldn’t help but laugh; if sober Mark could see them now, he would probably have a heart attack. The kid had the most gay panic Johnny had ever seen.

And of course, wherever there was a Mark, a Lee Donghyuck wasn’t far behind. “Mark, why won’t you hug me like that?” The boy whined, feigning sorrow. 

“You want in on this, Hyuckie?” Johnny said, not giving Donghyuck anytime to respond before he’s pulling him into his chest, holding his Dreamies tight against him. “Awww, have you guys missed your hyung? So cute.”

That seemed to break Mark out of his apparent clingy-hypnosis, because he pushes Johnny away and says, “Yo, shut up, man.” Hyuck remained stuck to Johnny’s chest even after Mark had left, so he slung an arm around the boy’s shoulders to keep him there. Even when he closed his eyes, Johnny felt Mark’s glare on his skin. Ah, young love. He pulled Donghyuck closer.

“Mark been neglecting you, Hyuck?” A whined agreement was muffled by his chest. “Come on, dude, get another shot in you and join the cuddle pile. It’s fun.”

Donghyuck was like a furnace against his skin, warm and comforting. Due to his fire abilities, he ran warmer than most people, not to mention how the sight of him lit up the room like a fire had been set. It was no wonder everyone called him Haechan, the kid was literally the sun.

“Not a kid anymore, hyung,” Hyuck groaned. Shit, Johnny really needed to get this ‘voicing all of his thoughts when he was buzzed’ thing figured out. 

“Of course not, kiddo,” Johnny teased. The moment Donghyuck looked back up at him with that evil glint in his eyes, Johnny knew he’d fucked up. Two hands shot to his sides, tickling and attacking with no remorse. 

He could barely hear Mark mutter, “Whatever, have fun, lovebirds, I’m getting another beer,” over his own laughter as he tried to shove the younger man off of him.

“Seo Youngho.” Donghyuck’s movements halted when they heard the voice, but he recovered quicker than Johnny. By the time he opened his eyes, Donghyuck’s warmth was gone.

“Taeyong-hyung!” Hyuck shouted, throwing his arms around the other man’s neck. Johnny couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the Dreamie’s antics. “Let’s go dance, Taeyong, pleeeeease? Can we dance?” 

The blue-haired man’s eyes went soft as he looked down at the head of brown hair shoved into his shoulder. The smile a loving father would give his child. Against his better judgement, Johnny’s heart skipped a beat. Taeyong patted Hyuck’s head before pushing him back gently. “Maybe later, okay? Go find Mark, before he drinks himself to an early grave.” Just like that, Hyuck was gone.

Taeyong sat down next to Johnny, finally giving him a close up view of the so-called ice prince. His cheeks were flushed, probably from the drink in his hand, and his expression was gentler than anything Johnny had ever seen from him. At least, before tonight.

“Johnny. Everyone calls me Johnny,” In probably his worst decision of the century, Johnny poured himself a third shot. He wasn’t drunk, not by any means, but if he kept going it wouldn’t be long before this joined the long, long list of Ten parties he didn’t remember the next day. “You looked great up there. The dance, I mean.” 

The smile that crossed Taeyong’s features was beautiful, the most genuine he’d ever given Johnny. It felt like the skies opened up, angels singing down upon them where they sat. But maybe that was just the mystery alcohol speaking.

“Thank you. You remember me right? Because if you don’t, it probably seems super weird that I know your name and everything. I was in the dance—”

“I know who you are, Taeyong.” Johnny swore he could see the other man’s shoulders drop in relief. “You were the best dancer in the club. Don’t tell Ten I said that, though.” Johnny grinned at him, leaning on the bar comfortably. Now, he wasn’t sure if the blush on Taeyong’s cheeks was only from the alcohol. 

“Your secret is safe with me,” he smiled. “You’re still playing, right? With a talent like yours, I’d be shocked if you weren’t.”

Now it was Johnny’s turn to blush. He could flirt all day, lay on the charm so thick that even Yuta would be embarrassed. When it came to people talking about his playing, though, he became easily flustered. “Yes, I still play. Though, my job at the coffee shop down the street wouldn’t really suggest that.”

“Ten and I are starting a dance class. You should come play for us.” Johnny, in the middle of pouring another shot, spilled the damn mystery liquid all over his fingers and the bar. What the hell? They wanted him… to play for their dancers? His jaw was dropped dramatically, and he stared at Taeyong in pure shock. 

Nimble fingers took the shot glass from his hand, and Taeyong downed it easily even though it was way too full. “Just think about it, okay?” Taeyong offered him another one of those smiles, the ones that made Johnny feel like marching up to God himself and telling him he had no right making such a beautiful person. He was so lost in his stupid, blasphemous hypothetical, that Taeyong was gone before he managed to regain himself. 

Lee Taeyong smiled at him. Lee Taeyong wanted to work with him. What the hell was going on? Was this shit laced with something? But sure enough, when Johnny looked out into the crowd, there was Taeyong. Their eyes met. Taeyong smiled.

Johnny was so fucked.

A body obstructed his view of the dancer, and for a second he pouted at the loss. Ridiculous. It was Taeil and Yuta, grinning down at him like vultures. Yuta pulled a guitar out from behind his back-- what the fuck, how did he even hide it back there?-- offering the instrument to Johnny. “C’mon, hyung, someone asked me to cover Old Town Road and I know you know how to play it. Lets go!” Johnny hated that he was right.

For hours, he, Taeil and Yuta sat on Ten’s cushy couch, covering whatever random songs people shouted out at them. The crowd dwindled and dwindled, until only he, Taeyong, Ten, Kun, Taeil and Yuta were left. Johnny’s buzz had mostly gone away, but the same couldn’t be said for Taeyong, who had his head in Ten’s lap, his feet in Johnny’s, giggling as he and Yuta did some god awful freestyle rapping. 

“God, TY, how many shots did you have? You’re gone,” Ten sighed, lovingly exasperated. Kun was pressed against his other side, desperately trying not to fall asleep while all of these irresponsible twenty-somethings were under his care. 

“Uh… three.” Taeyong barely got the word out through his laughter, and god it was cute. 

Yuta was appalled. “This is you on _three_ shots?? Over four hours? You’re a lightweight, Taeyong.” The other man just whined something unintelligible. 

A yawn sounded, and everyone turned to look at Kun. “I love you guys, but I’m really tired. Can we call it for tonight?” For a second, Ten looked like he was going to argue, but with one sharp look from Kun his jaw snapped shut. 

“Alright, guys,” Johnny spoke up, setting Kun’s guitar on the couch, “You heard mama, we’ve gotta split.” Kun’s protest was swallowed by another yawn and they all laughed. 

“Can I crash here, Tennie? Please?” Taeyong grinned up at Ten, and Johnny bet the other man’s heart melted as much as his own would have. The Thai man pulled Taeyong up to sit, swaying a little before he steadies. 

“Of course you can, sweetie.” Ten pressed a kiss to the side of Taeyong’s head and the blue haired man sluggishly pushes him away.

Johnny had no right to be jealous. He knew that. He barely knew Taeyong, one drunken night of laughing and talking didn’t make them soulmates. Not to mention, he knew that Kun was a monogamy type guy. Nothing to worry about. And yet…

After some goodbyes, a sloppy kiss to the cheek from Ten, and a well-earned smile from Taeyong, Johnny and company left Ten’s. The next morning, Johnny had never felt so grateful to remember a Ten party.

**Author's Note:**

> hello all! i know this is probably nonsense, but i dreamed about it last night and had to write it down. feel free to leave feedback, its much appreciated!


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